MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin men’s basketball team entered 2026 lacking quality wins and needing to upgrade its NCAA Tournament resume in a hurry.
The Badgers (18-7, 10-4 Big Ten) responded by becoming the first team this season to beat three top-10 teams, an achievement that has them back in the Top 25 for the first time since November as they prepare for a Tuesday visit to Ohio State (16-9, 8-6).
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No. 24 Wisconsin’s return to the poll follows a week in which the Badgers won 92-90 in overtime at then-No. 8 Illinois on Tuesday before returning home to trounce then-No. 10 Michigan State 92-71 on Friday, their most lopsided win over a top-10 team in school history.
The Badgers also won 91-88 at then-No. 2 Michigan on Jan. 10. That’s the only loss all season for Michigan, which has since moved up to No. 1.
In each of those wins over top-10 teams, Wisconsin made at least 15 3-pointers.
“(When) we shoot like that, ain’t no team in the country that can beat us,” fifth-year senior guard Nick Boyd said after scoring 29 points against Michigan State. Boyd was selected as the Big Ten player of the week.
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The only other team to have three top-10 wins this season is No. 13 Texas Tech, which joined the club Saturday with a 78-75 overtime victory over Arizona, which dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 in this week’s rankings. Texas Tech also beat then-No. 3 Duke 82-81 on Dec. 20 and then-No. 6 Houston 90-86 on Jan. 24.
Considering how well Wisconsin shot in each of its three biggest victories, it’s easy to assume the Badgers’ fortunes have improved simply because of better 3-point accuracy.
When the Badgers struggled earlier this season, they went 7 of 29 from beyond the arc in a 98-70 loss to No. 23 BYU, 7 of 28 in a 74-63 loss to TCU, 7 of 32 in a 90-60 loss at No. 9 Nebraska and 4 of 25 in an 89-73 loss to No. 7 Purdue. BYU was ranked ninth, Nebraska 23rd and Purdue fifth when those games were played.
But the Badgers believe the changes go beyond that.
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“Early in the year, we were soft mentally and physically,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after the Michigan State game. “We had to mature, had to grow up collectively and individually. You’re not going to be able to compete in these types of games in the upper echelon of this league if you’re not physically and mentally tough. This group has responded.”
The turning point may have come after a 76-66 overtime loss to Villanova at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum dropped their record to 7-4 on Dec. 19. An emotional Nolan Winter said in a postgame news conference that “I know that we’ve got more in the tank” before the 7-footer added that “I know this team’s full of winners and we’re going to bounce back.”
Wisconsin has gone 11-3 since. The Badgers have won eight of their past 10 games and the two losses were decided by a total of three points — a 73-71 home defeat against Southern California and a 78-77 overtime loss at Indiana.
Boyd, Winter and guard John Blackwell have led the way.
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Boyd, a San Diego State transfer who played on Florida Atlantic’s 2023 Final Four team, has averaged 20.6 points per game to rank third in the Big Ten. Blackwell has scored in double figures in 11 straight games, while Winter has 12 double-doubles.
They’ve helped Wisconsin show it can bounce back from adversity. Although Wisconsin never trailed in its blowout of Michigan State, the Badgers rallied from a 14-point deficit at Michigan and won at Illinois despite trailing by 12 with 8:10 left in regulation.
“After Villanova, when Nolan was just heartbroken, we were just kind of lost as a team,” Boyd said after the Michigan State game. “We just came together. To have moments like this, man, it’s just beautiful. I’m just so proud to be part of this team.”
Wisconsin still has plenty of work ahead.
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Then again, Wisconsin has proved quite capable of beating quality teams lately.
“We’ve got way more moments to share together — special moments,” Boyd said. “I’m just looking forward to having fun these next couple of weeks or months left in the season.”
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